David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer to open Che Fico on Divisadero

A former auto body shop at 838 Divisadero is slated to become Che Fico, a rustic Italian restaurant

David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer may not be names most San Franciscans recognize, but the two have worked in some of the best restaurants in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles — and are now poised to add their stamp on the San Francisco dining scene.

Next spring they plan to open Che Fico in what was once an auto body shop at 838 Divisidero. The 115-seat restaurant, designed by DMarc Studio, will be on the second floor and the design will incorporate the vaulted ceiling and large windows as focal points. The menu will be Italian with a full bar.

Che Fico translates to “what a fig” — which is a slang term for a phrase similar to “oh that’s cool,” says Nayfeld.

David Nayfeld. Photo by Josh Telles

Nayfeld is from the Bay Area, but most recently made quite an impression in Los Angeles where he lived for about 10 months and garnered loads of publicity for a pop-up named Fifty Seven, and for a special dinner he cooked with Michael Voltaggio at Ink. It was widely reported he would be opening a restaurant in southern California.
However, Nayfeld says he realized he didn’t want to be involved with a large restaurant group and that his heart was in San Francisco.

Prior to coming to California, Nayfeld worked for four years with Daniel Humm at Eleven Madison Park in New York. He also worked at Cru in New York and was in the kitchen for the opening of Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in Las Vegas. In San Francisco the 31-year-old chef worked at Aqua in the early 2000s.

Despite his fine dining background, Nayfeld says he’s drawn to a more rustic cuisine, partly inspired by his eight months in Europe where he worked in at least seven restaurants, many of them Michelin-starred.

The menu at Che Fico will center on handmade pasta, in-house charcuterie Neapolitan pizza and seasonal specialties. “It resonates with me, and it’s what I like to eat,” he says.

Matt Brewer

It’s a feeling shared by both partners. Brewer, who spent two years in the kitchen at the three Michelin starred, L20, was most recently a founding member of the Hogsalt Hospitality group where he was director of operations through 2014. During his tenure the group opened nine restaurants including Au Cheval and Bavette’s.

The two met a year ago, put together by mutual friends who knew that both of them were looking for a partner to open a restaurant.

Over the last year they became close friends and have spent time cooking at Brewer’s family ranch in Glen Ellen. Much of the produce and livestock used in the restaurant will come from the ranch, says Nayfeld, who says he started his culinary career at 13 stocking vegetables at Paul’s Produce in Alameda.

“We wanted to take our fine dining background and focus our food and service on relaxed style, but with a ton of intent and appreciation for our guests.’’